NRA: UN Arms Treaty Must Exclude Civilian Weapons

The National Rifle Association has demanded that the United Nations leave civilian weapons out of a treaty on international arms sales that it is negotiating this month.

Wayne LaPierre, the group’s CEO, warned Wednesday that the treaty won’t pass Congress if it does include restrictions on civilian arms, as this would trump Americans’ right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, The Hill reports.

He said 58 senators have promised to oppose a treaty, that covers civilian weapons. A U.N. treaty would need approval from two-thirds of the Senate to become law in the United States.

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“I am here to announce NRA's strong opposition to anti-freedom policies that disregard American citizens' right to self-defense. No foreign influence has jurisdiction over the freedoms our Founding Fathers guaranteed to us,” LaPierre said at the U.N Arms Trade Treaty Conference.
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“The only way to address NRA's objections is to simply and completely remove civilian firearms from the scope of the treaty. That is the only solution. On that, there will be no compromise.”

The 58 senators cited by LaPierre signed a letter to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the issue. Written by Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, and Jon Tester, D-Mont., it doesn’t reject regulation of civilian arms sales but indicates it would be difficult for Congress to pass a treaty including civilian arms.

The senators oppose “any inclusion of small arms, light weapons, ammunition or related materials that would make the treaty overly broad and virtually unenforceable,” the letter says.

The senators can’t accept a treaty that “in any way restricts the rights of law-abiding U.S. citizens to manufacture, assemble, possess, transfer or purchase firearms, ammunition and related items.”

Treaty proponents say keeping civilian weapons out of the agreement would make it easier for terrorists and rogue regimes to gain deadly arms. And, they say, there’s no need to worry about the Second Amendment, as the Constitution trumps international law.

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